LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

^0.7 IB K 

PRESENTED BY 

....^od^:t...'. 

UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. 



THE 



ouRT Sermon 



1674. 



SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEE]/ WRITTEN 



By gilbert BURNET, 

Bishop of Salisbury. 



1868 



mntlmuti: 

ROBERT CLARKE & CO. 
Publishers . 
1868. 



1^0 Copies printed. 



OHIO VALLEY PRESS, 
ROBERT CLARKE & CO. 
CINCINNATI, O. 



P B E FAT RY. 



About eleven years ago I obtained the manuscript ser- 
mon here imnted, from London. It was advertised in 
an old-book catalogue, as " 3IS. Court Sermon, 1674." 
The price ivas a trifle, and having no specimen of Eng- 
lish loriting of so early a date, I ordered it, but without 
much expectation of obtaining it. In due course of time, 
however, I received it, and found it a neatly-written 
manuscript of one hundred and twenty pages. The size 
of the written page is six inches by three and a quarter. 
The two -pages photographed, but little reduced, being the 
address to James, Duke of Ormond, will give an idea of 
the peculiarities of the writing. In printing, the spelling, 
the use of capital letters, the " and i;" of the original 
have been carefully followed. 

In the address, the author says : It zvas prepared for 
his Ma:^'^^^ own hearing.^ hut things having Intervened to 
hinder it from being preacht before him.^ And being fit for 
no other Auditory.^ I confeffe I could not hinder my felf 
from wijhing, That, in writeing, it might be found not 
altogether vnufefull. My Lord, there is no vanitie in the 
cafe. Since the Authour^s name fhall for euer be conceaPd.'^ 



vi Prefatory, 

There loas, of course^ no signature^ hut in its place is 
entered, in a contemporary hand, the name ofQl Burn " 
as will be seen in the photograph. 

The query then is, was Gilbert Burnet^ afterward 
Bishop of Salisbury, the author of the sermon f The 
writing is not his, "J. comparison of the photograph 
with specimens of Burnefs handwriting proves distinctly 
that the MS. loas not ivritten by him.'' Editor " I^Totes 
AND Queries," London, 3d Series, Vol. 12, page 367. 
This is of little weight, however, as one passage in the 
sermon makes it quite certain that the author did not 
write this copy, but that he had ''a f aire coppie" made 
by a professional ^' clerk," for presentation, and that he 
did not read or revise it afterward. How else can ive 
account for the occurrence of the following passage {see 
page 13), in which, when he comes to his first point ^^0/ 
expofmg vnto you the various kinds of follyes" he says: 
" And here. Looking round mee^ I observe in my whole 
Auditory a more than ufual attention The sermon was 
never delivered, but he knew that was where the attention 
ought to come in — very much, I suppose, in the ivay 
that ''great applause," etc., become attached to particular 
passages of speeches nowadays. 

It may be, then, that, taking it for granted that the 



Prefatory, 



vii 



loriting is not that of Bishop Burnet, still, the sermon 
may be his. The address is dated " September the io[^, 
1674." He loas deiwsedfrom his chajplaincy by Charles 
II. the previous summer, though, as kings had a royal 
loay of doing such things, there may have been many 
others similarly deposed about the same time. 

There are two circumstances mentioned in the address 
lohich seem to indicate that he ivas not the author, viz : 
that he ivas " bred " at Oxford, and that he had " lived 
much abroad.'' 

Bishop Burnet could not, in any strict sense, be said 
to have been " bred " at Oxford. He took his degree of 
M. A. before he ivas fourteen, at the college of Aberdeen. 
His only visit to Oxford, in his early days, ivas in 1663, 
ivhen he " improved his mathematics by the instructions 
of Dr. Wallis.'' He ivas there, however, only a few 
months^ which would be but a shcdlow foundation to a 
claim to having been " bred " at Oxford. He coidd say 
with as good a grace that he had been " bred'' at Am- 
sterdam, as he studied Hebrew there the following year. 

Previous to 1674 his only visit " abroad " was in 1664; 
at least I find no note of any other visit. It may be, 
hoivever, that in those days six months "abroad" may 
have been considered " much." It is possible he may 



viii 



Prefatory. 



have exaggerated in these two particulars^ in order to 
jpr event his friend from identifying him. 

The sermon is a quaint one ; and treating mostly of the 
follies of princes, it was no doubt peculiarly fit for " his 
Ma:^'^^ own hearing yet it may he found not alltogether 
vnufefulV^ to general readers in these latter days. 

B. a 



THE COURT SERMON. 



1674. 



To the Right Hon}^^ James Duke of 
Ormond^ Lord Steward of his Ma:^^^^ 
Houfehold^ Knight of the moft Noble 
Order of the Garter^ And Chancellour 
of the Vniverjitie of Oxford. 

My Lord: 



As Chancellour of that vniverfitie where I 
was bredj ^his Adrejfe to your Grace might Suffi- 
ciently he Juftijied, But the true motive to mee in 
the ?naking it hath been, ^he Eminent Demonftra- 
tions you have alwaies given of Integritie and zeal 
for the good of our Soveraigns Royal perfon. And 
for the profperitie of his 'Dominions^ Which^ the 
great god is my witnejfe, hath been my only aime in 
the framing of this Difcourfe. It was prepared for 

his 



4 



his Ma-J^^^ own hearings hut things having Inter- 
vened to hinder it from being preacht before him, 
And being fit for no other Auditory , I confejfe I 
could not hinder my fef from wifhing, l^hat, in 
writeingy it might be found not alltogether vnufefull. 
My Lord, there is no vanitie in the cafe. Since the 
Authour s name fhall for euer be conceaFd; Only 
thus much, I think, I ought to tell your Grace. 

'I'hat before it pleafed god to call me to the pro- 
feffion wherin I now Jerve him, I have lived much 
abroad. And, 'There, been honour d with good accejfe, 
to Men, Knowing in the chief Courts of Chriften- 
dome. Vpon wA account. It is hoped, I may be 
allowed Jome bolder touches then are Vfually ventured 
upon, in Sermons, by Men bred meerly Jchollars. 
I'he whole, my Lord, is fubmitted to your Judgment, 
for which none hath a greater Reverence then 

Tour Graces 

Mofi humble Servant, 

September the \Qth QJ ^^fU 

1674. 



rUE COURT SERMON. 



V <;rfe 4. Anfwer not a fool according to his foi/y, 
Left thou alfo be like Vnto him. 

5. Anfwer a fool according to his folly, left 
hee be wife in his own conceit. 

They are the words of Solomon in the 4th and 5th verfes 
of the 26th chapter of his proverbs. 

This Book is in the Hebrew called 
Mifle A word derived from a Radical which fignifies 
Dominion and Superioritie, And is rendred, as well 
in the Greek Septuagint as by all Latin Interpreters, 
By words fignifying Proverbs and Parables, with a 
very reafonable relation to the aforefaid fignification 
of the Radical.^ Since there is no way of Inftru6lion 
5 Carries 



Proverbs 
chap : 26. 



6 



'^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



Carries with it fo much of Superiority and Magiftral- 
nefle as that of Proverbs, parables and Apopthegmati- 
cal fentences. 

Now as to Proverbs, They are well 
defin'd by a Learned Authour, Sermones ad v'ltce ra- 
tionem Conducihiles^ moderata quadam obfcuritate^ multam 
in fe Vtilitatem Continentes. Such, among the philofo- 
phers, were the Documents of Epi6letus, And fuch the 
admirable fentences of Pythagoras called his Golden 
verfes, fo excellently paraphrafed by Hierocles. 

As for Parables, Our blefled Sa- 
viour himfelf took much the way of teaching by them, 
And gives this reafon for it. That hearing men might 
hear and not vnderftand. That is fuch men as were 
negligent, and not attentive as they ought to bee to his 
Divine Doctrine. But for them who bring due appli- 
cation with them. There is nothing of more advantage, 
as to a right difcernment of things, then the paraboli- 
cal way of expofeing them, for whilft one thing is fo 
expreft, as to make it evident that another is meant, It 
engages the vnderftanding in accurate both attention 
and enquiry. 

Befydes, as the word Parable, ac- 
cording to it's Greek Etymologic, fignifyes a Similitude, 
So there is Nothing that gives a clearer light into the 
nature of any Subie^t, then doth Comparifon of one 
thing with another. 

Beloved^ 



'^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



7 



Beloved, 

It hath pleafed God to preferve to 
his Church, three infpired works of Solomon's, which 
feeme to mee naturally enough applyable to the three 
degrees of life, tending to perfect beatitude. The 
Purgative, The Illuminative, And the Vnitive. 

His proverbs to the firft. His Ec- 
clefiaftes to the fecond, And his Canticles to the third. 

The Jewifh Rabbies fay. That the 
Canticles were writ by Solomon when hee was young. 
The Proverbs in his maturer age. And Ecclefiaftes 
when hee was an old man. 

Which opinion of theirs, although I 
think it weakly Inferrd from their reafon for it, That 
is, from the manner only of Solomon's naming himfelf 
in the feveral books. Yet I think it a Judicious one 
from Confideration of the works themfelves. 

for the Canticles appear to mee, 
as it were, As exhaling of that Divine fire of Love, 
which ravifht Solomons foule vpon his firft heavenly 
Irradiations, Before hee Declin'd to any thing of fen- 
fualitie, ff'or otherwife it might bee too Liable to the 
prophane Imputation of an amorous poem. 

As for his Ecclefiaftes, It will ap- 
pear to any attentive Reader, That it was written after 
a full experience of worldly Gloryes, Pleafures, Vices ; 

And 



8 



l^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



And from thence, a final recolle6lion and penitent 
refleilion on the vanities of them all. 

And Laftly, as to the Proverbs, It 
is manifeft. That they are wholly dire61:ed to the right 
ordering of a Civil & Moral life. Conformably to that 
age w^herin mankind is fitteft for publick focietie. 

Some Learned men have much La- 
boured (but furely in vain) to find out a Coniun6tion 
and Coherence of fence, in thefe proverbs of Solomon 
Relatively to one another. But the Opinion of thofe 
appears to mee the moft reafonable, who Conclude, 
That they were, for the moft part difiointed fentences. 
Standing, as it were fingly by themfelvs. And to bee 
occafionally applyed vnto their feveral fubje£ts. But 
yet. That, taken all together they might well bee faid 
to make up the compleateft body that ever was written, 
of pra6lical Phylofophy, According to the triple Divi- 
fion of it, into Ethicks, Politicks and Oeconomicks. 

As for the fpeculation of thofe, 
who would have the proverbs vnderftood, as a Con- 
vivium Solomonis^ where, according to ancient cuftome, 
matter of knowledg and Inftru6lion was moft fmartly 
produc'd. In Imitation wherof, Plato is faid to have 
formed his Sympojion^ And after him Xenophon and 
Plutarch theirs. This Notion, I fay, appears to mee 
too fubtle and of too much refinement. But thus 
much, Beloved, I (hall adventure to fay. That had the 

book 



I^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



9 



book of kings and all other Records of Solomon's Di- 
vine Infpiration been Loft, This book alone of his 
Proverbs, remaining, might have been fufficient to give 
a clear perception. That his fpeculations, even in hu- 
man things were farr aboue bare human reach. And 
had the reft of his proverbs been Loft, The two verfes 
wch I have read unto you, might haue made us in a 
good meafure know, ex pede Herculem^ as they fay. 
Since I am perfuaded there can hardly bee found elf-" 
where two Joint precepts of fo fharp and notable pen- 
etration into the Intimate nature of human frailty. 

Anfwer not a fool according to his 
folly^ Leji thou alfo bee like vnto him. 

Anfwer a fool according to his folly^ 
Lefi hee bee wife in his own conceit. 

Whileft I difcourfe vpon this fub- 
jeil, Beloved, I will help your memories by an eafie 
Divifion of what I intend to Deliver. 

I fhall firft expofe vnto you, The 
feveral forts of follyes, fet forth by Solomon, to which, 
remedies and preventives feem defign'd by him in his 
proverbs. 

Secondly, I ftiall endeavour to de- 
termin vnto what kinds of fools thefe two precepts of 
Solomon may feem principally to relate. 

And Laftly, I ftiall Conclude with 

two Do£trinal obfervations from them Applyed. 

2 But 



lO 



'T'he Court Sermon — 1674. 



But before 1 enter vpon thefe 
points, or upon any farther explication of my text, It 
will bee fitt I fay fomewhat to you upon occafion of 
the feeming Contrariety of thefe two precepts. 

Anfwer not a fool ^c"' 
Anfwer a fool iffc'^ 

Beloved 

It hath alwayes been the endeavour 
of Impious and prophane witts. To derrogate from 
the reverence due to holy writ. By remarking Incon- 
gruieties and Inconfiftences in feveral parts of it ; As 
it hath been conftantly the work, of pious and Learned 
men. To clear all paffages of fcripture from thofe ma- 
licious Imputations, which would make god's word 
appear, as it were, felo de fe. The old teftament is 
much more fubje6): to haue that advantage taken 
againft the Authority of it, then the New, In regard 
of the ftraitneffe and ambiguous nature of the Lan- 
guage wherin it was written, the Hebrew. Strait I fay, 
& narrow, As having but feaventeen hundred Radical 
words (or Thereabouts) from whence all others are 
deriv'd ; which muft needs occafion want of propriety 
and CircumftantialnefTe, The two qualities, in ex- 
preffion, moft neceffary to the giving cleer notions of 
what is Intended. 

And Ambiguous nature. Chiefly 
Occafioned 



'l^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



Occafioned by two eminent defeats, as to writing, 
(How perfect foever the Hebrew may have been as to 
elocution). 

The firft, The refemblance to one 
another of many prime Radical letters, As of Beth to 
Caph^ Of He to Cheth^ Of Daleth to Rejh^ and others, 
Such, As requires a very good fight to diftinguifh 
them, even in print. And much LefTe is the differ- 
ence difcernable in Coppyed manufcripts. Currently, 
if not Curforily written. 

The fecond from this. That all 
antient writings in Hebrew, Before the Mazoreth at 
Tyberias, five hundred years after Chrift, confiflied of 
Confonants only, To which the vowels were adapted, 
in the reading, according to exigence of the fence. So 
that, as in other Languages, the fence of what is 
written arifes out of the words. It may Colourably 
enough bee faid, that, in the Hebrew, The words arife 
out of the fence, ffrom whence great doubtfullnefle, 
of the right Signification intended, mufi: in fome cafes 
neceflarily follow, 

fFor the fame Confonants, as well 
in many derivatives as Radicals, fignyfying feveral 
things, farr differing from one another. It falls out 
fometimes. That two fignifications remote from one 
another in themfelvs are found to bee equally Con- 
fiflent with good fence in a Sentence. And then, 

what 



12 'J^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



what fignification of the Confonantal Radix, Or what 
adaptation of vowels ought to bee admitted, Can only 
bee decided by Tradition, That is, By verbal Deriva- 
tion, from age to age, of the Original Intention of the 
firft Authour. 

ffrom whence poffibly, may in part 
have grown. The Sacredneffe, among the Jews, of their 
Cabala, Through the Neceffitie of founding their Relig- 
ion vpon Tradition, as well as vpon the written word. 

Wheras the New teftament, having 
been written in the moft Copious and accurate Lan- 
guage of the world, The Greek^ A Language Rich, not 
only in the numeroufnefTe of fingle words, But alfo 
in fuch compounded ones, as to fitt all fubiecfts with 
Circumftantial and Proprietal exprellions. Seems to 
mee in much lefle danger of perplext and Ambiguous 
Conftru6lions ; And Confequently, The help of Tra- 
dition Lefle necefl^ary to the Rule of Chriftian faith 
then it was formerly to that of the Judaick Religion. 

The proverbs of Solomon, And 
particularly this 26, Chapter, from whence I have 
chofen my text, might furnifh many notable Inflances 
of the various Explications, Occafioned, in the Inter- 
preters of them, by the differing fignifications of the 
fame words, in the unpointed manner of Antient He- 
brew writing, were it Natural to my subie6l, Or apt 
for this place to produce them. 

Now, 



'The Court Sermon — -1674. 13 



Now, Beloved, As to what concerns 
particularly the repugnancy between thefe two texts, I 
ftiall need add litle to what the Learned Grotius fays of 
them. Hee calls thefe texts — zvavziO(pavet^. That is 
Appearing Contradi6tious. And as fuch, hee ranges 
them with the two oppofite precepts of the Pythago- 
reans. Aeco(f6(/(jj ^ry.oi^SiU. & Azcocpopuj firj Saotqeiv. 
Go in the Common high-way. Go not in the Com- 
mon high-way. But hee adds. Sed qua: adhibita^ tem- 
porum et rerum difcretione^ facile Conciliantur. 

Contradiction is never rightly im- 
puted, but where the affirmative and the negative are 
both applyed to the felf-fame fubje6l at the felf-fame 
time. And, in the future difcuffion of thefe texts. 
That distinction of things and of times will let you 
Clearly fee the Rational and ufefull fubfiftence of thefe 
feeming oppofitions together. 

Beloved^ 

1 come now to my firft point. Of 
expofing vnto you the various kinds of follyes, fet 
forth and provided againft in this work of Solomons. 

And here. Looking round mee, I 
obferve in my whole Auditory a more than ufual atten- 
tion. Nor do I wonder at it. Since there is nothing 
more engageing to the attentiveneffe of Human nature, 
then expofal of the Defeats of others. 

Say 



14 '^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



Say true, are there not fome among 
you, who, from an enumeration of thofe many forts of 
foUyes, wherwith the Corrupt ftate of mankind is 
diverfified, expe£t to find that neighbour's defeats dif- 
play'd, to whom they bear leaft good will ? But let 
whoeuer Liftens with that thought, either withdraw 
the Attention, Or Carry it on further, til hee pitch 
alfo vpon the picture that moft refembles his beft 
friend. Since no man was euer born of a woman ex- 
empt from eminent follyes of one kind or of another. 

Optimus ille 
^ui minimis vrgetur. 

Beloved, when I impute folly to all 
mankind. Let it not bee taken in that ofFenfive fence, 
wherin moft men will eafilyer forgive a publick re- 
proach of Lewdly vicious, then the being told by any 
that they are fools. Good god ! By what falfe No- 
tions are mens fentiments and refentments fwayed in 
this world, whileft taking themfelves to bee more 
wounded by the name of fool then of wicked man. 
They give not themfelvs leave to reflect on this moft 
Orthodox truth. That fin and wickednefle is the 
greateft folly, And Confequently, The Lewd and vi- 
cious man the greateft fool. The truth of this AlTer- 
tion may bee clearly Infer'd from divers texts of Scrip- 
ture. I fhall mention but two. The firft from the 
firft verfe of the 6. pfalm. Where it is faid. The fool 

hath 



'the Court Sermon — 1674. 



15 



hath faid in his hearty there is no god. By the word fool 
in which text, all Learned Expofitors unanimoufly 
agree, that the wicked man is to bee underftood. 
And fo wickedneffe is made there, (as ufually in many 
other paffages of fcripture) even Convertible with 
folly. 

The other Confirmation of this af- 
fertion, I take, from the 7. verfe of the firft chapter of 
the proverbs, where Solomon lays it as a ground to all 
his enfuing Documents of prudence, That the fear of 
God is the beginning of w if dome. Principium Sapien- 
tie^ according to vulgar tranflations. But according to 
the moft accurate Critticks in the Hebrew, Interpreting 
the word Rejhith^ Premitice et prcecipua cujufq. rei pars^ 
which makes the fence of the verfe run thus. Princip- 
ium fcienticE hoc eft pnecipua inter fcientias eji timor 
domini. And fo, by the concluding reafon of con- 
traries. Since the fear of god is the principal of 
fciences, and the greateft perfection of Sapience, The 
fuprerneft wickedneffe (that is the contempt of god) 
muft needs bee the higheft of follyes. And the fooi 
mentioned in the Latter part of the fame verfe, who 
defpifes wifdome (that is the fear of God) the moft 
fuperlatiue fool. 

Beloved, As this Pofition is moft 
firm in Divinity, That wicked & vicious men are the 
greateft fools. So, were the Confideration of god and 

Religion 



i6 



T^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



Religion quite Layd afide, The Certainty therof might 
as fully be made good in Moralitie. 

Reflect and confider ferioufly I be- 
feech you, What vice, what wickednefTe is there, for- 
bidden by the Law of God, from which wee ought not 
to bee reftrayn'd, by that civil prudence, which only can 
make men live eafily and Comfortably together. As 
fociable Rational Creatures, and fellow Cittizens of the 
world. Or to which a man abandoning himfelf, doth 
not become a fool, That is recede from thofe Rules of 
reafonable-living. By which fecure-Living with one 
another mufl: bee maintayned. 

It would bee too tedious to dilate 
vpon the difmal efforts of folly & madneffe, which. In 
relation meerly to this world, excelTes in vice. Such as 
DrunkennefTe, Adultery, Breach of faith. And other 
extrauagant tranfportments againft the Laws of politick 
Moralitie, and bare humane prudence, haue drawn upon 
nations & kingdomes Generally, as well as upon 
Princes and greateft Potentates perfonally. By a chaine 
of Neceflary Civil confequences. — without engageing 
Divine providence or vengeance in the argument 

Beloved, The word fool is oftener 
ufed in proverbs & Ecclefiaftes, then in the whole 
volume of Scripture befides. And no wonder. Since 
the main defign of thofe works, appears to mee to haue 
been. The prefcribing of remedies and preventiues 

againft 



l!he Court Sermon — 1674. 



againft follyes, That is, Againfl: difeafes of the mind, 
dangerous to general focieties of men, and to the happi- 
neffe and tranquility of Individuals. Receipts farr 
more pretious then thofe, which Jewifh Rabbies fay- 
that Solomon had caufed to bee written on the walls of 
the Temple, for cure of bodily Infirmities. And who- 
euer fhall carefully perufe thofe books will find, That 
fcarce any blind-fide of human-nature hath ftay'd his 
obfervation, or milT'd, in them, of fome enlightening 
application. 

Contraria Juxta fe pofita^ mag'is 

elucefcunt 

So, Solomon, having, in the begin- 
ing of his Proverbs, to the fourth chapter, painted out 
wifdome, with all it's beauties and advantages. 

In the reft of the book, difperfdly 
hee expofes, to the full, fFolly, In all its feueral De- 
formities, with the mifchiefs accrewing from it. 

IFools are fet forth by name in eight 
and fifty texts of the proverbs, And in four and twenty 
of Ecclefiaftes. But in many other, various kinds of 
them are expof d euen more Liuelily and impreffiuely 
then where they are named. 

Although by the word ffools^ as well 
in the proverbs as in other parts of fcripture, wicked 
men are oft underftood, (Since all wickednefle proceeds 
from defe6): of underftanding, (Howeuer vitious men 

3 "^ay 



1 8 1'he Court Sermon — 1674. 



may prefume upon their witts,) Yet in moft places 
Such fools are underftood, whofe weak intellectuals 
Lead them to feueral forts of extrauagances, According 
to the feueral impulfions or propenfions of their nature. 

The Improuident, The Mifer, The 
Slothfull, The tefty fools, and other forts, whofe 
follies are moft hurtfull to themfelues, are fuffi- 
ciently remarkt. And fome of them fent, as it were, to 
fchool to Brute-beafts, Some to fuch a contemptible 
Infe6t as the Ant. But thofe are moft fully painted 
out, who are moft troublefome, and of moft inconven- 
ience to others, as well as to themfelues, And moft 
difturbing to the eafe and fecuritie of Human life, and 
prudent Conduit in the Ciuil courfe thereof. Such as. 

The Drunken 

The Luftfull 
And aboue all. The prefumptuous 

ouer-weening fools. 

Beloued, How can the temptations 
and allurements to Luftfull follyes, And the mifchief 
of yeelding to them, bee more liuelily reprefented Or 
more Graphically defcrib'd then in the 7th Chapter of 
proverbs from the 13^)^ to the 24th verfe 

13 So Jhee caught him and kijfed him^ 
and with an Impudent face faid unto him. 

14 / haue peace-offerings with mee. 
This day haue I paid my vows. 

15 n erf ore 



I^he Court Sermon — 1674. 19 



15 Th erf ore came I forth to meet thee^ 
diligently to feek thy face^ and I haue found thee. 

16 / haue decked my bed with Coverings 
of Tapejiry^ with carued works^ with fine Linnen 
of Egypt 

17 / haue perfumed my bed with mirh^ 
aloes^ and Cinnamon. 

18 Come Let us take our fill of Loue until 
the morning. Let us folace our felues with Loues. 

19 ffor the Goodrnan is not at home^ Hee 
is gone a long fourney. 

20 Hee hath taken a bag of money with 
him^ And will come home at the day appointed. 

21 With her much fair fpeech Jhee caufed 
him to yield^ With the flattering of her Lipps Jhee 
forced him. 

22 Hee goeth after her Jiraight-way^ As 
an Oxe goeth to the flaughtery Or as a fool to the 
corre^ion of the flocks 

23 Til a Dart flrike through his Liver^ 
As a bird hajleth to the fnare^ and knoweth not 
that it is for his life. 

Beloued, Hew can enticements and 
provocations to the folly of drunkenneffe bee more 
naturally or more movingly fet forth, then in the 23 
Chapter of proverbs, vers, the 31. 

31 Look not thou upon the wine when it 

is 



10 



^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



is red^ when ifs colour Jhines in the glajfe^ when it 
moveth it felf aright^ 

Or the mifchiefs flowing from that 

Liquid expreffe. 

Ingreditur hlande i^c^^ But at the 
Loft it hiteth like a ferpent^ and Jiingeth like an adder. 
vers the 32 

And in the 29. & 30^]^ of the fame 

Chapter j 

Cui vce ? Who hath wo ? who 
hath Contention ? who hath wounds without caufe ? 
who hath redneffe of eyes ? Cui v^e ? Is it not to 
thofe that tarry Long at the wine ? Et Student Calicihus 
epotandis. 

Dearly beloved 

I truft in the great goodneffe of 
almighty god, That no one man of my Auditory is 
come to this place, to ferue him, and hear his holy word. 
But hath brought along with him both moral and Chrif- 
tian refolutions, to difengage himfelf from two fuch 
odious vices. In cafe hee hath been unhappily plunged 
& intangled in them. If not, Or that thefe Leflbns of 
Solomon's haue not caufed a trembling within him, at 
the memorie of his own obfcenenefle and beftialitie, I 
dare fay hee is in a fad Eftate, of Searednefle and In- 
fenfibilitie of Confcience. 

All 



T^he Court Sermon — 1674. 21 



All words I could add vnto thofe of 
that moft wife king, upon thefe fubie(5i:s, would but 
flacken their force. And therfore I fhall only pray to 
the great Mediatour for mercy, That hee would divert 
his fathers juftice from that vengeance wherwith fo 
many Eminent Indiuiduals among us are threatened, 
for their abandonment to thefe two vices. And the 
whole i^ation for the Countenance giuen unto them by 
Superiours. 

As for what Concerns prefumptuous, 
Ouerweening fools. Sentences againft them, in this 
book of Prouerbs, are moft fmart and numerous. But 
they will bee more naturally & more forceably expof'd 
unto you, in my enquiry and explication what fort of 
fools are principally aimed at in thefe two precepts of my 
text, which is the point that comes next to bee handled. 

Anfwer not a fool according to his 
folly ^ Left thou alfo bee like unto him. 

Anfwer a fool according to his folly^ 
left he he wife in his own conceit. 

Now for the more particular ex- 
planation of thefe two verfes, I fhall obferue Vnto you, 
That both the precepts do clearly Concern the fame 
fools in one kind. That is. Such fools as cannot keep 
their folly to themfelues, but muft bee pratling to 
others, for the text doth not fay. Speak not to a fool 
according to his folly. But anfwer not a fool, which 

fuppofes 



22 'The Court Sermon — 1674. 



fuppofes his fpeaking and uttering his folly firft, to 
which the difcreet hearers return, is by thefe precepts 
to bee regulated ; But this underftood, It grows then a 
queftion to what fort of fools, venting their impertin- 
ences in words, thefe two rules are principally Intended. 
And Learned Expofitors differ very much in the point. 

As to the firft verfe, Vatablus, 
Clarius, Caietan, and Janfenius agree, In applying it to 
the railing and reviling fool, whom they underftand 
that a wife man is here forbid to anfwer, by railing and 
reviling him again. Left hee bee alfo like unto him, 
An expofition. In my opinion not only narow and 
dull, but very unnatural, fFor though railing and revil- 
ing of others bee often a Concomitant of folly. It is 
not a natural proprietie of weak and difordered Intel- 
le6luals. But rather of ftrong and diftempered pallions. 
Neither doth a return of railing, upon preceding pro- 
vocation Induce fo much a Confequence of want of 
underftanding, as of want of temper and moderation. 

Some other among the Learned 
would haue the firft of thefe verfes underftood. Of fools, 
in the fence of that word moft ufually taken by Expofi- 
tors of Scripture, That is, wicked men. Who are not 
to bee anfwered, fay they, by a good man according to 
their folly (that is, their wickednefle) Left he become 
like unto them. That is, alike wicked. But this alfo 
appears to mee, a ftrained and unnaturall conftru6lion. 

And 



'the Court Sermon — 1674. 



23 



And I cannot but wonder, I confeffe, how any differ- 
ence of Opinion can haue continued, among Judicious 
Confiderers of this matter. Since nothing can feem to 
mee more Clear and evident. Then that this whole 26 
Chapter, in as much of it as concerns fools. Is primarily 
dire£i:ed againft prefumptuous and Ouerweening fools. 
Vain, euen of their folly, and of others being like unto 
them in it, and Confequently Incorrigible. Of which 
that you may the better Judge, I fhall read unto you 
fome principal verfes of that Chapter, relating to them. 
Vers As fnow in fummer^ And as rain in Har- 

I So honnour is not feemly for a fool.^ verfe the 

firft. 

As much as to fay. Nothing more 
prepofterous, more unfeafonable, then the giuing of hon- 
our to a prefumptuous fool. Snow in Summer, not 
more unnatural. Nor rain in harveft more Hurtfull. 
3 A whipp for the horfe^ a bridle for the 

ajfe^ and a rod for the fooV s hack, verfe the 3d 
As who fhould fay. The feuereft Corre6lion is as 
unproper and ufeleiTe to a prefumptuous incorrigible 
fool, as a whipp to a horfe that is too free of himfelf, 
Or as a bitt to an alTe, whofe own ftupiditie keeps him 
back too much already. A whipp precipitates the free 
horfe, and a Bitt ftupifies yet more the Drowlie Affe ; 
Euen dull affes are vain. Who hath not feen a dull 
affe frifk as if hee prefumed upon agilitie. 

6 Hee 



24 T^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



6 Hee that fendeth a mejfage by the hand 
of a fool.^ Cutteth off the foot and drinketh Dam- 
mage, verfe the 6tjj As who fhould fay, Hee 

cripples his own bufinefle, and muft needs fufFer Dam 
mage by it. To whom can this fo properly belong as 
to the prefumptuous fool, who is likely to marr the 
meflage by intermixing fomewhat of his owne. fFor a 
weak, unprefuming fool, may deliver a meflage punc- 
tually enough. 

7 The leggs of the lame are not equal^ fo 
is a parable in the mouth of a fool, verfe the 

7th As who fhould fay, A parable, (that is, an ingenious 
fentence or fimilitude) in a fool's mouth, is as ridiculous, 
as a man, having one leg fhorter then another, who 
will yet bee running. Of whom can this bee fo rightly 
underftood as of the prefumptuous fool, who alone, of 
all the ignorant, will venture to bee fententious. 

There is a french proverb, Toute 
Comparaifon cloche. That is, All comparifons halt. Now 
a parable, being a Comparifon, Can hardly, (though in 
the mouth euen of the wife) bee fo adequated between 
differing fubje6ls, but that fome difproportion may flill 
bee found in the paralel. But a parable, A similitude, 
in the mouth of a fool, mufl needs bee quite Lame. As 
lame as the man that wants feet. 

8 Js hee that bindeth a Jlone in a fing. 
So is hee that giveth honour to a fool, vers the 8^^ 

This 



1'he Court Sermon — 1674. 25 



This text hath feueral very differing 
tranllations, among the Learned Interpreters of the He- 
brew, arifing from the forementioned ambiguity of that 
Language, in writing, which it might feem afferted to 
produce in this place. Since the fame fence, upon the 
whole matter, viz- of honour's being caft away upon a 
fool, refults from them all. And may moft properly bee 
applyed to the prefumptuous ouer-weening fool. 

9 As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a 

drunkard^ fo is a parable in the mouth of a fool, 
verfe 9th 

As who fhould fay. The ouerween- 
ing fool, who prefumes to bee parabolical and fententious 
(which belongs only to the wife,) Is like a Drunkard, 
who pretending to gather a Rofe, runs the prickles into 
his hand, and makes no profit of the flower. 

11 As a Dog returns to his vomit fo a 
fool returneth to his folly, vers, the iith As who 

fliould fay. As a dog, by eating of Graffe, difchargeth, 
for a while, his flomach of offenfive ftuff, but foon re- 
turns to fwallow it again. So the prefumptuous fool may 
perhaps bee brought, by proper applications, to difcharge 
himfelf of fome folly for a time. But hee will foon 
return again to his extravagance, 

Naturam expellas furca licet^ ufque 

recurrit, 

12 Seefi thou a man wife in his own 
4 conceit^ 



26 'The Court Sermon — 1674. 



conceit^ there is more hope of a fool then of him. 
verfe the 11^^ As who ftiould fay, A man wife only 
in his own opinion (the true reprefentation of a pre- 
fumptuous fool) There is lefle hope of his cure, by any 
applications of the wife, then euen of an Idiot's. 

Laftly, beloued, to fhut up all the 
paflages of this 26^^ Chapter, Concerning fools, I ftiall 
repeat the verfes of my text, 

Anfwer not a fool according to his 
folly^ Lefi thou alfo he like unto him. 

Anfwer a fool according to his folly., 
Lefi hee bee wife in his own conceit. 

Beloued, Having, as I conceiue, made 
it in fome good meafure cleer. To what fort of fools, 
exprefling their folly, Thefe precepts are principally 
applyable. Let us now look more particularly into the 
true fence and Intention of them 

It is to bee confidered. That it is not 
faid barely, Anfwer not a fool, but anfwer him not ac- 
cording to his folly. There lyes the force & Empha- 
lis of the precept. A wife man may anfwer a fool 
feueral wayes without incurring the imputation of being 
like unto him. As by way of admonition or of fcorne. 
But there is no anfwering a fool according to his folly, 
That is, by way of Concurrence or complyance, with- 
out giving juft occafion to the being thought a fool 
alfo. That is, Becoming like unto him both in the 

judgment 



I^he Court Sermon — 1674. 27 



judgment of the wifer, and in the prefumptuous fool's 
own vain conceit. 

It is further to bee obferved, That 
as the following verfe fhews the negatiue Doctrine of 
the firft to bee no general Rule at all times, So, euen 
at the time when it is to bee obferv'd. It is no Pofitive 
precept, forbidding the thing as abfolutely Inconvenient, 
But rather in the nature of fuch Laws, as Interdict 
praftifes under a penaltie, which men are free to do, 
Submitting to the mul£t for fo doing. 

fFor there are Coniun6lures, wherin 
the complying with a fool in his folly. Yea, and pafling 
for a fool for fo doing, may bee the wifeft thing that a 
prudent man can do ; I make litle queftion. But that 
Junius Brutus did fully fatiffie his own wifdome and 
vertue (which carried him to fo great a defign as the 
redeeming of his Countrey from Tyranie) In pafling 
with all Rome for a fool : Nor do I doubt but David, 
in the Court of Achifti, would haue been glad to ap- 
pear a fool. By anfwering fools according to their 
folly, when as he drivel'd upon his beard, to make 
him felf pafTe for a mad-man. Sapientis ejl Infipere in 
Loco. 

With weak and wicked princes it 
is oft times prudence, to difguife not only witt but 
vertue too. It is true (as it hath been often faid,) There 
is no part fo hard for a wife man to play well, as the 

fool's 



2 8 T'he Court Sermon — 1674. 



fool's part. I haue been told that to dance Exa6tly 
Counter-time, requires much a jufter eare, then to 
dance palTably well in Cadence. In a6tions where 
nature is forced, It is very hard doing things Naturally. 

Now, beloued, as to the following 
affirmatiue precept, The force and Energy of that 
alfo lyes in the word According^ But in a conftru^tion 
of that word farr differing from the other. There, by 
According is cleerly meant. According to the nature of 
his folly. That is Complyantly. But here. Accord- 
ing to the Merit of his folly. That is Rebukingly, 
Scornfully, or Inftru£tingly. ffor the According taken, 
here, in a more favourable fence, would tend much 
rather to the making the prefumptuous fool yet more 
vain of his own wifdome, Then to hinder him from 
being wife in his own conceit. Good god ! How 
much do many men contribute to the fins and follyes 
of others by their filence. But how much more is 
folly and finne heightened in this world by the ap- 
plaufe they too often find, from thofe who palTe for 
witty & Ingenuous. 

Vpon the whole matter. The full 
fence and fcope of thefe two verfes, as I can colled it, 
by way of refult from all the beft expofitors. Is, in 
fhort this. Anfwer not a fool according to his folly. — 
when the anfwering him fo, may hurt thy felf. 

And anfwer him, according to his 

folly, 



I'be Court Sermon — 1674. 



29 



folly, when thy not anfwering him, as it defervs, may 
do him hurt. 

Dearly Beloved^ 

Prefumptuous Ouerweening fools, 
In relation to whom the laft of thefe precepts is un- 
queftionably giuen by Solomon, may truly bee faid to 
bee, The Grand grievance both of Chriftian and Moral 
fociety. Of Chriftian, As they ftiake the two main 
pillars of true piety in this world. Humility and Chari- 
tie. And of Moral, By their troublefome intrufion into 
the concerns of all men. The inward eflence of a 
prefumptuous fool is, Ipfo faSfo^ exclufive to Chriftian 
Humility. And his outward a6ls are all vpon the 
Contre-pied of Charity. Whofe flips, whofe failings, 
(though through meer frailnefle of humanitie) Did the 
overweening fool euer fpare, in any thing, where his 
ftiort fight could reach to remark a weaknefle ? To all 
other fools nature feems to haue profcrib'd and Limited 
peculiar fpheres of their ailivitie, In w^,^^ though hurt- 
full to themfelues, they are many times beneficial to 
others. And fo, as it were, By difcords help to make 
up the Harmony of the world. 

The prodigal fool brings himfelf 
into ftraits, but puts others more at their eafe. The 
avaricious fool pinches himfelf, But provides for his 
fucceflbr wherwithall more freely to Indulge his pleafure. 

The 



I^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



The heavie flothfuU fool reaps not 
the benefit hee might of what his territory would afford 
him. But, at the fame time, Hee giues others the ad- 
vantage of cutting the graffe under his feet. 

All other fools allow peace and 
quiet, at Leaft, to their fellow-fools of differing kinds. 
But the prefumptuous fool is vniverfal in the moleft- 
ing extent of his folly. Hee is Intruding, and inter- 
medling in euery thing, And troublefome to all. In all 
ftages and profeflions of men. And were the truth 
rightly difplayd more troublefome to himfelf then to 
all others, ffor I haue euer obferved, Thofe men who 
cannot live eafily towards Others, to Liue alwayes, 
moft uneafie to themfelues. 

Let a prefumptuous fool bee aboard 
the Admiral of a fleet, (though neuer before expof'd to 
greater winds then of a Lady's chamber door left open) 
Hee fliall prefume to direct the beft mafter of Eng- 
land, what fail to make after a flying enemy. 

Let the prefumptuous fool bee in a 
Camp, with the greateft General in Chriftendome, Hee 
ftiall bee Interpofing his advice in a day of battell. And 
bee fure to fay, vpon any unfavourable fucceffe. If hee 
had followed my advice &ca- 

Laftly, Let a prefumptuous fool 
haue the luck to bee in a Council of State (As fome- 
times that happens in the world) What work do his 

vain 



I'he Court Sermon — 1674. 31 



vain excurfions make there ? And how oft do his reit- 
erated weak arguments, Embelliflit and Illuftrated, as 
hee thinks, by ornament of Learning and Oratory, 
make the wifer, that hear him, euen ready to befhrew 
thofe that taught him to write h read. And here it is, 
Beloued, That this latter precept of Solomon's is moft 
properly to bee applyed. Anfwer fuch a fool, according 
to his folly. That is, as his folly defervs, Either 
Convinceingly or Corre6lingly. Left, by fparing him, 
hee grow wifer and wifer in his own conceit. And 
Confequently more and more troublefome in Councils. 

Beloved^ 

Having fufficiently difcourfed unto 
you, of the varietie of follys, according to Solomon, 1 
come now to Confider, What Liftru6live Do6lrines 
may naturally bee deduced from that which hath been 
expofed unto you. I fhall infift but upon two. The 
one, taken from the two verfes of my text, vizt That 
no man ought to Comply with the weakneffe of another. 
To his own or others prejudice, ffrom this Do6lrine 
may properly be drawn, apt leflbns, concerning flatter- 
ers of princes & foothers of great men. 

The other, arifes from the confider- 
ations formerly exprefft. Of the nature of wifdome h 
folly vizt That from the Loweft to the higheft ftage 
of mankind, No man deferues the name of a fool, (how 

weak 



32 'The Court Sermon — 1674. 



weak foeuer in more General talents) who difcharges 
the duty of his particular Calling, Rightly and faith- 
fully. And that whoeuer is failing therin. Let his parts 
bee neuer fo quick and pregnant in other things, ought 
not to efcape the imputation of folly. 

ffrom this affertion will naturally 
flow, euen to princes themfelvs. Important memento's 
of their Incumbent Dutyes. 

The firft of thefe two Do6i:rins 
muft bee taken with two diftinftions. Wee are to 
diftinguifh betwixt frailties and follyes, and alfo be- 
twixt Innocent harmlelTe follyes, and fuch follyes as 
are of Noxious Confequence. fFor Since all mortal men 
haue not only their frailties but Confpicuous follyes 
alfo of one kind or another. There is not a more Re- 
commendable qualitie in human Societie, Then a gen- 
tle Complyance with the weaknefles of others. 

That Complyance may truly bee 
faid to bee, Not only a principal conciliatrix of kind- 
nefle and eafie living betwixt man and man. But euen 
a ftrong Cement of reciprocal friendfhip. Provided 
alwayes. That our accomodablenefle to the Imbecilities 
of others, in the way of eafie Living, bee not fuch as to 
ftrengthen and confirm in them their defeds, wherby 
occafional frailtyes may grow to ill habits in them. 

Nor fuch as fhall engage our felues 
in a participation. To a purblind neighbour, whofe 

fight 



^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



33 



fight can not reach fo farre as ours, It is good (if it Lye 
in our power,) to help him to fuch a glaffe as may fit 
his eye. Or to bring the obje6l (if it well may bee) 
into his vifual diftance. But not to put his Contracting 
Spectacles vpon our own nofes, Or to hold the book fo 
near to our own eyes as not to bee able to read. And 
much Lefie to doe as in the Court of Dionifius, where 
men ran their heads one againft another to make the 
tyrant belieue they were ihorter fighted then hee. In- 
tellectual difcernment, and the clearneffe or confufed- 
neffe therof, holds a good proportion with our Cor- 
poreal vifion of things. 

It is written of Alexander the Great, 
That being the Louelyeft man of the age, Hee held 
his head on one fyde, His Courtiers might haue been 
allow'd to admire how well that ill gefture became his 
GracefuUneffe in all things ; But to bend their necks 
awry, as if it had been a becoming thing to them alfo, 
was a mean & fervile flattery. 

fflattery which hee himfelf, when 
wounded, took a pathetical way of reproaching, to 
thofe about him, who had flattered him with the fug- 
geftion that hee was a fonne of Jupiter's. This blood, 
fays hee, which you fee run from mee. Is the very 
blood of a Mortal, And not fuch as Homer defcribes 
flowing from the gods. 

It is flattery, beloued, (The unpun- 
5 ifh'd 



34 '^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



unpunifh'd poyfoning of Princes) againft which this 
Do6lrine ought principally to bee enforced, As being 
that complyance with the Defe6i:s of another, which 
Can hardly bee excercifed without notable Detriment 
(whatever may appear of advantage for the prefent) 
both to one's felf and others. 

Moft men in high place are natur- 
ally fo apt to flatter themfelves, and to overthrow 
what is good in them by an over-value, That few of 
them can efcape fome degree, euen of madnefle in their 
Innate vanity, If to that there bee an accellion of 
Inordinate applaufe from thofe about them. 

ffarr bee it from my intention (while 
I enforce this Doctrine againft flattery) to deprive 
vertue of it's chief reward in this world, Praife & 
comendation. 

It was well obferv'd by a Grave 
Authour, That as, for the propagation of mankind. 
Nature had placed excellive pleafure in the A6t of 
Generation wherby man might bee powerfully urged to 
that, which otherwife the uncleanneflTe of the a6):ion 
might make him forbeare. So, to the end that men 
might not be rebuted by difficulties in the wayes of 
vertue, fFor the propagation of that, Providence had 
placed an Incomparable Delight in the applaufe Refult- 
ing from it. 

A delight moft peculiar to princes, 

whofe 



'The Court Sermon — 1674. 



whofe exalted Condition hath fet them, in a manner, 
aboue all other earthly reward but only that of prefent 
Glory from vertuous deeds. Springing up and expand- 
ing to eternal fame, The moft Charming incentiue of 
all others, to thofe Illuftrious operations, wherby their 
Divine Character is principally maintaind. Xeno- 
phon, as great a Captain as Phylofopher, having en- 
deavour'd to form the higheft Idea of a Prince, In his 
Cyrus, Giues him moft frequently the Attribute of 
Philopainos^ That is, Louer of Praife, As the fupreme 
ftimulation to thofe Heroick vertues wherin hee ex- 
ceeded all others. 

Princes haue this further reafon to 
Loue & Cherifh praife, for that great applaufe doth 
not only illuftrate vertues, but alfo hide defe£ls. So, 
Julius Caefar is faid, neuer to haue been more delighted 
then when hee was allow'd to wear the Laurel Garland, 
which hee feldome Laid afide, valuing it not only, as 
the meed of fo great a Conquerour, But alfo, as it 
couered fome litle baldneffe of his head. 

And Certainly, beloued. There is 
not fo deplorable a fign of a prince's being Incorrigibly 
abandoned to his vices, as when once hee comes to 
manifeft, in the way of them, a contempt of prefent 
Cenfure and future fame. 

But whileft princes are agreeably 
entertained and encouraged, in the wayes of vertue, by 

juft 



' T^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



juft praife, from true friends, who are fo few. Good 
god ! In what danger do they live of being betrayed 
into all vice by flatterers, who are fo many. And fo 
Artificial in the preparing h adminiftring of their poy- 
fon. A poyfon, of all others, the bardeft to bee avoided, 
and the hardeft to bee Cured, if once admitted and 
fwallowed. 

It hath been obferv'd, Tliat poifons 
taken in wine or oyle, are leaft capable of remedie by 
antidotes, The one flying prefently to the heart by it's 
CordialnefTe, And the other being of fo irrefiftable an 
Infinuation into the vitals, by the fmoothnefl^e and 
penetrativenefTe of it's nature. Both which qualities are 
too unluckily afl^embled in flattery. O ! would to god 
that the acceptablenefl^e therof, to fome princes, were 
not an occafion of Comparing it yet further with wine 
and oyle, in their effe6i:s. Of which the Pfalmift fays. 
That the one makes glad the heart. The other a 
cheerfull Countenance. 

Beloued, One chief danger from a 
flatterer is, That hee is fo Like a friend. But hee fhould 
be for that the more Odious, As an Ape is held to 
bee, among creatures, the moft Ridiculous and Con- 
temptible, becaufe, refembling a man fo much, hee is 
ftill a Brute beaft. 

Many philofophers haue employd 
great Speculation and Oratory In the diflinguifhing a 

friend 



I'he Court Sermon — 1674. 37 



friend from a flatterer. But none, in my opinion, hath 
illuftrated the difference more Ingenioufly then Tirius 
Maximus, In faying. That the gods alfo haue their 
flatterers. That the truly Religious man is god's friend, 
The Superftitious his flatterer. 

But the all-feeing eye of the al- 
mighty cannot bee Deceiued by Refemblances, Wheras, 
without a fpecial afliftance from him. The frail humanity 
of Princes, can hardly make the important diftindlion. 

The very natures of many vertues 
and vices Lye fo near together. That their names are 
eafily and almoft Indifcernably tranfferr'd, by Artificial 
Infinuators into the affe6lions of princes. 

Flow eafily is Auarice reprefented 
to them in the drefl^e of wife and wary prouidence. 

How eafily is Prodigalitie fet forth, 
Illuflrioufly, with the title and habit of princely Bounty 
& Magnificence. And how eafily is their Luft and 
Senfualitie painted out for that Amorous Nature, which 
hath often been the Concomitant of greateft Conquer- 
ours, and the Comple6tion of the greateft faints. 

Beloued, This flattery of vice in 
Princes, though in it felf the meaneft and moil deteflable 
of all others in the flatterers. Yet is it of the Leaft 
danger, to thofe towards whom it is exercifed, as being 
fo groffe and palpable. 

There haue been few princes fo 

blinded 



38 'The Court Sermon — 1674. 



blinded and Infatuated, in their vice, as to haue quite 
loft diftinguiftiment betwixt good and evil. 

There remains, ufually, in the moft 
tranfported, though not Confcience, yet ConfcioufnefTe 
enough to furnifh them, by Interiour Evidence, w^ith 
contempt for the Impudence and meannefle of fuch 
Adulation. 

But the Dangerous flattery indeed 
Is, w^here the prince himfelf is made complice & party 
in it. Bee it as to a6tions, Or in Opinions Leading to 
them. 

How often hath princes engaged 
themfelves in ftubborn and dangerous refolutions, upon 
fpecious but imperfe£^: glimmerings of things, wherin 
they immagined they faw very clear. And might haue 
been brought to do fo Indeed, had not flatterers multi- 
plyed & reflected unto them, their own miftaken lights 
and deceiving Images. 

How often haue princes been with- 
drawn from prudent refolutions, Settled upon great 
Council and deliberation. By flatterers, Obferving and 
improving fome weak fide of their Inclinations. 

How often haue princes exercifed 
bounties with an applaufe to themfelues. As having 
placed them on worthy Subje61:s, And been Celebrated 
for them by their flatterers, As having purely proceeded 
from generous principles of a Royal nature, when they 

knew. 



I'he Court Sermon — 1674. 



39 



knew, as well as the Clofd recefles of the prince's own 
breaft, that they fprang not from confideration of the 
partie's merit, But from fecret relation and ufefullneffe 
to fome prevailing affe£l:ion. 

Beloved, It may pollibly Suffice that 
a prince pray heartily to god to preferue him from 
flatterers of all other kinds, But as to this fort of 
flattery, hee will haue reafon to employ the fpanifh 
prayer Guarde me Dios de mi^ That is, God fhield mee 
from my felf. 

The flattery towards which, (next 
unto this) princes had need bee moft wary and Alert, 
Is, That adulation which is ufher'd in by feeming 
admonifliment, when under the mafk of a noble Liberty 
of reprehenfion for fome frailtie of fmall Confequence, 
fflattery, to a prince's Darling finne, is clofely Inflnu- 
ated. This is the moft dangerous of flatteries ; As 
there is no kind of Detra6lion fo Artificial as that 
which is let in under the difguife of Commendation. 

But beloued this mention of De- 
traction Leads mee to obferue unto you, another fort 
of flattery to princes, which, at firft blufh. It may feem 
extravagant to call fo. That is. The hittery of Detrac- 
tion, for when princes are of the humour mention'd 
by Tacitus, Lihertatem metuehat^ adulationem oderat^ 
(which hath been the cafe of many) Then the fubie6t 
of a Sly Courtier's Infinuation grows very narrow h 

flippery, 



40 



T^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



flippery, Angujia et Luhr'ica Orat'io as the Authour fays, 
Vnleffe in the way of mefdifanfe and Detraction, 
towards which there is alwayes a great proneneffe, as to 
acceptable Admiffion, In princes of that Compofition. 
IFor where there are no natural colours wherby to 
heighten to them their own perfe£lions, The expofal 
of the imperfections of others grows to bee the moft 
delightfull aliment of felf-Loue. 

This age, beloued, hath Learnt a 
fubtile and fafe way of exercifing Calumny, very enter- 
tainingly to princes. That is, In Mafquerade, A french 
mafquerade called Raillery, wherin good companions & 
familiars proceed towards men's honour and fame. As 
the thief did towards the purfe of his fleeping friend, 
who putting his hand into his pocket to fteale it, Said 
to himfelf. If you fleep it is in earneft, If you awake it 
is but in Jeft. 

This is, indeed, one of the moft 
cruell wayes of affaffinat, to honour & reputation that 
hath euer been Invented. And the likeft to an Italian 
Inuention, Of ftiooting, from under a cloak, a long 
needle, out of a Litle, and eafily conceal'd croffbow, 
Wounding Incurably becaufe Invifibly. 

Good God ! How many a brave 
man hath been excluded from juft efteem, and euen 
Loft in the good opinion of princes, By the fecret ill 
impreffions of this malicious Engine Raillery. Nay 

what 



'T'he Court Sermon — 1674. 41 



what hath the Liberty allowed unto it, in fome Courts, 
Coft great princes themfelves, euen within the memory 
of middle-aged men. 

Much more might be added, upon 
occafion of this Doctrine, againft hurtfuU complyance 
with the follyes of others. But I conceive what hath 
been faid fufficient for this Auditory. I come now to 
the Second, Namely. 

That from the Loweft to the higheft 
ftage of mankind. No man deferues the name of a fool, 
how weak foever in more General talents, who dif- 
charges the duty of his particular Calling Rightly and 
faithfully. And that whoeuer is failing therin. Let his 
parts bee neuer fo quick & pregnant in other things. 
Ought not to efcape the Imputation of folly. 

Beloued, 

The firft branch of this aflertion is 
clear, from the very nature & Ratio formalis of practical 
wifdome, which Confifts in purfuance of Right ends, 
By Apt and due meanes. 

And the fecond, fFrom the reafon of 
Contraries, Since folly in practice is the oppofite to 
pra6tical wifdome. And what is the Right end. But 
that which the Calling Dire6ts unto ? And what Due 
meanes, but the Dutyes of that Calling ? 

There are many pafTages of fcrip- 
6 ture, 



42 



The Court Sermon — 1674. 



fcripture, in full Confirmation of this Doctrine. Abner, 
in the whole Courfe of his Life, is not fet out, There, for 
any great head-piece. And in his Death feems taxable 
with weaknefle. To haue trufted a man of fuch power, 
and bloody execution as Joab, After provokation by 
the Death of his brother. And yet David, in his La- 
mentation for the Death of Abner, alks this queftion. 
Died Abner as a fool ? A fort of Interrogation which 
carries with it it's own anfwer in the negative. Abner 
then died not as a fool. Since hee had Liued and Died 
as a brave through-Man in his profellion. This is an 
Inftance in the upper ftage of men. But, euen in the 
Loweft, there are remarkable ones in Scripture. Hi- 
ram's Brazier is there Celebrated for wifdome. And 
Aaron's Taylor, as to his prieftly Garments, for the 
fpirit of wifdome. 

Laftly, women themfelues, their 
proper office & profefHon being to fpin, (and our Law 
therfore calling the greateft Ladies fpinflrefTes) Are, in 
feueral texts of Exodus, fet forth, upon the account of 
well fpinning, for wife and wife-hearted. 

Socrates, whofe great talent was, to 
Inftruft fuccin£i:ly by queitions. And pleafantly to 
mortifie Superfluous Difcourfers, Afkt Memnon, What 
is vertue ? Memnon Replyed, There is the vertue of 
a man, and the vertue of a woman. Of a private man, 
and of a Magiftrate. Of a child, and of an old man. 

Inilead 



T!he Court Sermon — 1674. 43 



Inftead of fingle vertae, which I 
enquired after, quoth Socrates, you fhake about my 
ears a whole hyve of vertues. 

Had Socrates afkt the queftion, 
concerning pradlical wifdome, Memnon, In anfwering 
as hee did, had been LelTe expof'd to the Raillery, 
ffor certainly, practical prudence is of as many feueral 
forts as there are formal fixM Callings and profeffions 
in the world. Since Relatiuely to them, there is no 
wifdome truly to bee called fo, but the wifdome of appli- 
cation. 

How highly then, dearly beloued, 
does it import euery man. As hee will {bun the Odious 
Imputation of folly. To endeavour to difcharge, as hee 
ought, the Dutyes of his Calling. The firft and moft 
important ftep wherunto Is, The underftanding rightly 
what thofe Duties are. 

Xenophon tells us, Cambifes taught 
Cyrus, That for Mariners, who knew not how to fteer 
a fliipp, to pray for a good voyage. fFor a Hufband- 
man, who had not manured his ground. To pray for a 
good Harveft. Or for a General, without experience 
in Battels, To pray for victory, was a fin againft the 
Law of Divine providence. 

Beloved^ 

When I firft offered unto you this 

Doctrine, 



44 '^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



Do6lrine, I told you, That it might afFoord good Me- 
mento's, euen to princes themfelues. Of their Incumbent 
Duties. A bold word. Is it not ? To fpeak to Sou- 
eraigns of their Duties ? What ! muft their reputa- 
tion of wifdome or folly depend vpon common rules of 
plebeians ? Beloued, in this point, of Rightly perform- 
ing the office, to which god hath Called them, Yes 
verily. 

I know before whom I haue the 
honour to fpeak at this time. And I do it, with a heart 
as full of Reverence and veneration to the tranfcendant 
qualities of his Perfon, as to the Luftre of his Throne. 
And it is the knowledge of that clear Difcernment, 
wherwith god hath bleffed his underftanding, which 
encourages mee to Enforce this truth in his prefence. 
That the higher and more important to many, the 
Calling is. The more Eminent muft needs bee the 
Celebration of wifdome. Or the Imputation of weak- 
nelTe, Refpeftively, in the difcharge of it. According to 
Incumbent duty. 

What greater inftance of the proper 
nature of wifdome in Soueraigns, Then the Reafon 
giuen by Solomon to god, for his afking of That, pre- 
ferrably to all other things. 

Not that hee might out-witt his 
neighbour princes, And haue the Glory of exceeding 
them, in the tryals, then in fafliion. Of refolving Dark 

queftions. 



T^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



queftions. Not that hee might pierce into the fecrets 
of nature, Or draw from thence fuccours to Mortalitie, 
in it's Infirmities. But that hee might Judge (that is 
Gouern) his people aright. That was his bufines, and 
the great point vpon which the foHdity of his wifdome 
depended, Namely, vpon a right Difcharge of the Duties 
appertaining to his kingly office. 

Hear alfo what our Englifli Solomon 
(king James of Bleffed memory) Recommends to his 
fonn upon this fubieft. 

Above all vertues (fays hee) ftudy 
to know well your own Craft, which is to rule your 
people. And afterward, in the fame kingly work, hee 
adds, as a prime branch therof, Thefe words, (fit to bee 
written in Chryflal with the point of a Diamond,) Be- 
ware alwayes to abufe your felf, in making your fporters 
your Councellours. 

I think, Beloved, I ftiall need ufe 
no more words to Convince euery one who hears mee. 
That the reputation of wifdome or weaknefTe, in kings. 
Depends farr more then in all other callings whatfo- 
euer, upon their Difcharging, aright, the Dutyes of their 
Sublime and glorious office. But alas ! who fhall teach 
Soveraigns what thofe Duties are? 

Machiavel in his Introduction to the 
famous. Or rather infamous, book of his prince, Saith, 
That as Painters to draw well the perfpe6tiuc of moun- 
tains, 



46 l^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



mountains, do fet themfelues in the valleys. And to fet 
forth rightly the Landfkip of vales, do place themfelues 
vpon hills. So, to underftand well the nature of Subiefts, 
one muft be a king. And to bee able to Declare rightly 
the part of a king one muft be a fubieft. An elegant 
preamble, But farr from a judicious or true aftertion, 
Since none are fo unfit, to inftru6t kings in their Duty, 
as fubie6ls are. To venture to do it by word of mouth 
in a private Capacitie Is too hazardous a prefumption. 
And in writeing. The Chief undertakers, I haue euer 
met with, haue appeared to mee much apter, in their 
works. To teach Subje6i:s to faile in their Duties, Then 
princes to perform rightly theirs. It belongs to god 
alone To teach. To reprove and to prefTe home to 
kings. Their kingly obligations. Who but a Samuel 
was to inftruft or reproue a Saul. Who a David but 
a Nathan. Who an Ahab, but an Elijah. & who an 
Hezekiah, but an Ifaiah. 

All Soveraigns, beloued, are Adeo- 
dati^ Given by God, The good for the greateft blelling. 
The bad for the greateft curfe upon Nations. But 
excellent kings are not only Adeodat'i^ But Theodidactoi 
alfo. That is. Taught by God. Taught by him in 
his written word. By his Chofen Minifters. And by 
their fellow king's Inftruftions and examples. Let 
princes then Read Scripture frequently ; Hear gods 
word preacht Attentively, And Carefully perufe the 

good 



T^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



47 



good Hiftories and Aduices of their eminent progenitors, 
They fhall need no Other Teachers. 

The Dutyes of princes, Comon 
with other Chriftians, are fufficiently fet forth in euery 
good booke of pra6lical Divinity, and often-times 
notably well taught from this pulpit. But their Special 
Dutyes, quatenus kings^ fparingly and rarely, Notwith- 
ftanding the power from almighty god, given to his 
minifters to do it with Authoritie, As his Commiflion'd 
Ambaffadours, when called to preach unto them. So, 
Si Paul teaches us. In the 20. verfe of the 5. Chapter, 
of the fecond epiftle to the Corinthians, In thefe words, 
Now then wee are Amhajfadours for Chriji^ As though 
god did hefeech you by us^ wee pray you in ChriJT s Jiead 
— And fo forth. 

Beloved, Should our Gracious Sov- 
eraign fend, the meaneft of his fubie^ts, as his Am- 
baffadour, to the higheft of earthly Monarcks, euen 
upon an unpleafing errand, Hee v/ould bee receiued 
with that regard, which were due to the greatnefle of 
the fender. Without reflection upon the Littlenefle of 
the perfon Employed. Much leffe ought any minifter 
of god's word, (though as poor a worm as my felf ) Em- 
ploy'd by the king of kings, to fpeak from him, in this 
place, Doubt of being heard by an Anointed of his 
with Benignitie. 

fFounded in this affurance, I fliall 

take 



48 



l^he Court Sermon — 1674. 



take the Liberty to tell you. That the actions of kings, 
quatenus kings^ in performance of their Regal office, are 
to bee regulated, in many cafes, by meafures farr differ- 
ing from the general maxims of Plebeian vertue. Vulgar 
rules can no more fit the elevation of kings. Then 
Aftronomical Tables, Calculated for the Latitude of 
Rome or Paris, can bee proper for the Horizon of Lon- 
don or Edinburgh. 

There might bee inflances giuen, in 
moft of the Dominions in Chriftendome, where Princes, 
by their perfonal vertues, Defervedly paffing almoft for 
faints, Haue been as juftly reckoned among the Leaft 
wife kings, & Leaft deferving of the publick, through 
Deficiency in fome other vertues, more efpecially re- 
quired to the well governing of their fubje6ls. 

And on the other fide, fome princes 
generally condemned for perfonal vices, haue been 
allow'd by all men, for moft wife and illuftrious Sov- 
eraigns. Beloved let not this truth bee wrefted to a 
wrong and uncharitable Conftru6i:ion, As if fomewhat 
fhould haue fallen from mee in the Pulpit, in Derroga- 
tion of perfonal vertue, and piety. And in excufe of 
vice and licentioufnefle in Princes. But let it bee 
taken Rightly, as it is rightly Intended, To give a 
clearer comprehenfion. That there are certain Regal 
qualities. Of Confideration great enough (In order to 
publick good) To out-weigh and overbeare the obliga- 
tion 



'T!he Court Sermon — 1674. 



49 



obligation of fome recommendable Chriftian vertues in 
a private man. And this I take to be moft true, Not 
only Morally and Politically fpeaking, But euen Theo- 
logically alfo ; And that it may paffe for an Orthodox 
pofition in Divinity. 

That Soveraign princes are more 
ftri^lly accountable to god's Juftice for fuch faults, 
quatenus kings^ (though leffe black in appearance) as 
involve in mifchief the people, vv^hofe good they are 
ordain'd to procure, then for their fouleft fins as In- 
dividual men. What more Chriftian vertues, Beloved, 
as to a private good man, then Patience, Long fufFer- 
ance, unconcernment in worldly things, and refignation 
up to god of all vindicativeneffe ? 

And what more Contrary to the 
Regal Duty of a king, then fufferance of Injury and 
Contempt to his Character, Then a dough-baked In- 
difference in the high Concerns of his Government, Or 
then fuch a tenderneffe and benignity of nature as ftiall 
hinder him from juft revenges, and from kingly refent- 
ments. Solomon fays. That the wrath of a king is like 
the roaring of a Lyon, and fo it ought, indeed, to bee, 
That is Terrible to all it's provokers. Provided al- 
wayes. That kingly wrath bee never Confounded, and 
made promifcuous with perfonal paffion of the private 
man, neither in it's motion nor in it's execution. The 
Lyon muft not roar at the fnarlings of a Lap-dog. 

7 Princes 



50 'The Court Sermon — 1674. 



Princes muft beware exercifing, euen by their own 
fpecial orders, the kingly power of Revenge vpon 
vulgar Incidents of the man. But aboue all things, it 
imports a Soveraign to take heed of fufFering any under 
him, how near or dear foeuer, To abufe of Regal power 
to private revenges. There is nothing that derrogates 
fo much from the kingly Character, or which the 
people fufFer with fo Contemptuous an impatience, as to 
find themfelues Injured and opprefft by that fuperiority 
of power, which is Ordain'd and allow'd to princes, 
not more for their own fafety, then for protection of 
their fubie6ts from the Injurious violences of any. 

In fhort. It feems to mee, upon the whole matter. 
That all fuch private vertues as are apt to Leflen Rev- 
erence (the fundamental effence of Regalitie) Ought to 
bee fparingly or very privatly exercifed by princes. 

On the other fide, Beloued, fuch 
private excefl^es of the frail mortal, as draw not with 
them, either perfonal contempt or publick fcandal, are 
to bee born in kings, by their fubie6ls without murmur. 

But at the fame time, I fhall Con- 
fidently fay. That what prince foeuer in the world, 
though neuer fo great and powerfull, fhall fupinely 
negle6i: the Confequences of publick fcandal from 
Irregularities of life, is in a deplorable Condition. 

Now fince princes themfelues are 
not excepted in what our Saviour denounces againft 

thofe 



'The Court Sermon — 1674. 



51 



thofe who fcandalize euen litle Children, What then 
ought Subie6ls (though neuer fo great) to expe£t from 
Divine and human juftice, who fhall, in the face of the 
Sun, continue a courfe of life fcandalous to whole Na- 
tions. 

I think, beloved, it may bee fafely 
affirm'd. That in the world's hiftory many great kings 
will bee found to haue brought their Temporal and 
Eternal Crowns into hazard, through the fins of others, 
which they haue multiplyed by impunity and by ill 
example, much more then by all their own moft 
unjuftifyable actions, if not aggravated by the publicitie 
of them. Read but the 15. &. j6. chapters of the firft 
book of kings. There you fhall find. How many Sov- 
eraigns were fucceffively deftroy'd, by the will of god 
almighty. Not fo much for any Luft, Bloodyneffe, 
Rapine, Or even Idolatry of their own, as, in exprefle 
terms, Becaufe they made Ifrael to fin. Solomon him- 
felf, wee fee, was drawn, by his weak fide towards 
women, to joyn with them in ails of Idolatrie. But 
yet Since hee finn'd in that kind, fo, as not to engage 
the generality of his fubie6ls in the crime, But that the 
fervice of the true god was ftill continued in his temple, 
God was mercifully pleafed, to forbear the punifhment 
of it in his perfon. Laying it upon his pofteritie. And 
that in a Limited meafure, Wheras Jeroboam, Other- 
wife a gallant man, and Chofen as fuch, by god himfelf, 

To 



52 I'he Court Sermon — 1674. 



To bee king over Ifrael, in the room of Solomon's 
fonne, Had Judgments denounced againft him & his, 
of the moft terrible nature, Becaufe hee made Ifrael to 
fin. Although it feem evident in the text. That his 
fetting upp the golden Calves, was. Not through any 
Idolatry of his own. But only an a6l of ftate policy To 
keep his fubjefts from repairing to Jerufalem, (The 
Capital feat of his enemie) vpon pretence of religious 
Duties. 

Beloued, It is a juft fubie6^: for our 
conftant prayers to almighty god. That hee would 
grant to kings, Stri6i: reftitude of a6):ions, and Inten- 
tions, according to the precepts of Chriftian piety and 
true Morality in all things. 

But if that may not bee obtain'd, 
That hee would grant unto them, for the good of 
thofe whom hee hath appointed them to Rule, Such 
Phainomena, Such Appearances, at leaft, as may bee of 
Edification and of encouragement to good. Since the 
people will alwayes bee more powerfully governed 
by the example then by the Laws their Soveraign 
giue. 

Now fince the a£l:ions of princes 
are, as it were, the hand of that great Clock, vpon the 
moft eminent fteeple. By which other clocks and 
watches are fet, (And which fhould it felf be regulated 
by the great Sun-dial The Law of god) Let the hand 

fliew 



T!he Court Sermon — 1674. 



53 



fhew but the hour right, It belongs not to the world 
to enquire, whether it owe it's true Demonftrative 
motion to an inward fpring, Or to the Swingguings of 
a pendula. 

Now to fhut up all, Dearly beloved, 
Let us, in the firft place render heartily, to almighty 
god, our Devouteft thanks, & gratefull acknowledg- 
ments, for his great goodneffe to this Nation, In having 
endowed our gracious Soveraign, Not only with per- 
fonal vertues, and qualities fo admirable and fo amiable, 
But alfo with fo great a proportion of Regal eminences. 
And in the next. Let us fervently befeech his Divine 
Matje : To vouchfafe unto his anointed fuch marks of 
his favour as he once did (for their guidance) To the 
Children of Ifrael, A dark Cloud, And a pillar of fire. 
A Cloud between the people and the Human frailties 
of their Soveraign, to cover and conceal them. And a 
pillar of fire before his Eminent vertues. To illuilrate 
& make them flill more and more Confpicuous and 
exemplary. 

PrefTe then to fhine before your 
people. Great king^ They are the words of your wife 
Grand-father to his fonne, in the foremention'd book 
of his Bazilicon Doron, and the words of our Saviour 
are. Let your light fo Jhine before men^ That ^ feeing your 
good works^ they may glorifye your father w<=^ is in heaven. 

So 



54 "^^^ Court Sermon — 1674. 

So god being glorified by you, You can neuer fail of 
being alfo Glorified by god againe. In this world, 
according to the extent of Human capacity, And Eter- 
nally in the world to come. 



OHIO VALLEY PRESS, 

ROBERT CLARKE & CO. 
CINCINNATI, OHIO. 



